Photo Voltaic (PV) solar applications are continuously striving to increase their performance and the efficiency of the installation. In fact equipment design that can operate under typical PV-conditions up to the limits stipulated from the Low Voltage Directive (LVD), e.g. up to a voltage of 1500VDC is a great step towards this goal of maximizing the ROI. Since, in PV-solar installations, this maximum voltage is present only at a start-up and it is usually around 20% lower under normal operation, close to the maximum power point, the utilization of a 1700V chip setup employing the CAL4F free-wheeling diode for superior cosmic ray ruggedness has been evaluated and is now released for mass production.This new PV-SKiiP4 with extended transient DC-link voltage rating of 1500V implies that this voltage level occurs for a short and limited time duration as it is valid for typical PV-application conditions. Hence, the newly released PV-SKiiP4 series with its unique internal low inductive construction permits switching operation with a slightly extended Safe Operating Area (SOA) at low start-up currents. In conclusion the superior loss performance of a 1700V 2-level SKiiP4 along with the capability to manage the transient start-up from a PV-solar array provides an unprecedented cost and power loss efficient solution for 1500V PV-solar application.The PV-voltage profile shall be carefully checked and consulting SEMIKRON’s application engineering team is recommended to ensure a reliable operation of the SKiiP4 under PV-solar specific conditions. In general the RMS DC-link voltage of 1300V max. should not be exceeded as stipulated in UL61800.Do you want to check data sheets and technical explanations? If so click here.

Yours sincerely,

Peter SontheimerChief Sales OfficerSEMIKRON INTERNATIONAL GmbH

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